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Thursday, July 18, 2013

Whole Fruit Peach Popsicles

I wait all year for peach season. They are my favorite fruit and nothing beats the summer sensation of biting into one and getting that burst of sweetness while tiny drops of peach juice dribble down your chin. The down side of a peach is the tiny window of peach perfection. Perfectly ripe this morning means over-ripe tonight. Not a problem if you buy just enough peaches to consume in a day, but I like to by them by the basketful. Why purchase 3 peaches when you can buy 15 pounds of perfectly ripe fruits that have to be eaten or processed RIGHT NOW!

Peaches are pretty easy to freeze. Peel and slice them, give them a quick dunk in some lemon juice and a sprinkle of sugar and they are ready to live in freezer bags until later in the year when you need to taste summers goodness again. Sometimes we just partially thaw and eat them. Other times I make cobblers or pies with them, and this year I plan on making peach jam and trying to dehydrate some. Still there are always a few peaches I leave for us to eat that become too ripe but I can't bring myself to toss them.

Yesterday I found 3 of those in my fruit basket. They were begging to be consumed right away, but I had already eaten one and didn't want anymore. I peeled them (You know they are too ripe when the peel comes off using just your fingers as a tool.) and stuck them in the Magic Bullet, gave them a whirl, added 2 teaspoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of water and 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract and blended it a little more. Then I poured the now liquid peaches into popsicle molds and froze them overnight.

Oh my goodness! These were so tasty and refreshing. It was like a cross between a fresh peach and a peach milk shake, well other than the fact there was milk in it at all. It was just icy peachy deliciousness with a hint of vanilla. I have no idea if the sugar was actually needed or not. I added it thinking it might keep the pop from being solid ice. The consistency was perfect so I guess it helped. I need to try some sans sugar and see how that works.

I have no idea how long they will last in the freezer and I only have one of those cheap plastic popsicle molds with plastic handles. Since I am limited to just 8 popsicles using the mold handles, I think I am going to go buy wooden popsicle sticks and use them for the handles instead. That way I can unmold them, wrap them in waxed paper and stick them in a freezer bag and still be able to make more of them. Surely they will last a couple of weeks that way!

If you like icy cold treats on hot days try this. You might like it.

Now I am wondering if this will work with the leftover watermelon in the fridge? Possibilities might be endless!

If you want the peaches to retain their perfect peach color, add about 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to the blender, but you will also need additional sugar to offset the tartness. I would start with 1 tablespoon and let your taste guide you from there. Personally I will sacrifice color for less sugar.

As an aside, this puree might work well if combined with a little rum and frozen in an ice cube tray for a different take on a peach daiquiri.